Split into 3 stages, each a week long, the 3 Islands Tour is a journey through the history, food, architecture and traditions of these Mediterranean jewels. The exceptional diversity of the islands is represented through the numerous civilizations and cultures that have left their mark, the amazing gastronomic variations, the strikingly rugged interior landscapes paired with stunning coastlines of white beaches and emerald waters, and locals with an incredibly strong sense of place. The Mediterranean charm is truly at the heart of this tour.

We ride from North to South beginning with Corsica, home of Napoleon. It’s mountainous North contrasts beautifully with idyllic beaches and fishing villages. From here we head to Sardinia a land of towering cliffs, beach coves and unique history. Then finally to Sicily where rolling farmland, volcanoes and stunning coastline is littered by classical sites in exceptional settings.

We will ride down the west coast of Corsica which is the more picturesque and less busy side. We will end the first week in the stunning village of Bonifacio. From here we will sail across to Italy and Sardinia. Our ride down Sardinia will take us along the west coast which holds more Phoenician significance and is our preferred cycling route too. Our destination is Cagliari from where we will catch the overnight ferry to Sicily and its atmospheric capital Palermo. The ride through Sicily will focus on the southern part of the island as we head towards Catania which marks the end of our ride.

Conceptually our Phoenician 3 Islands Tour will sit at the less extreme end of the Ride and Seek Epic spectrum. The average daily riding distance will be around 80km and whilst all the islands are ‘hilly’, daily elevation profiles will be less dramatic than some of our other offerings. That said we will also offer daily ‘extra loop’ rides that head inland for those wanting more hills and ride time. This tour is graded as 3 espresso cups so we feel it has a broadest reach of our Epic tours.

Team Members on this Tour

Dylan Reynolds - Owner and Guide

First cycling memory:Chaperoning my younger sister on the 4km ride to primary school every morning. My Mum would often follow in the car, out of sight, to check we were ok. It was my first experience of guiding!

Favourite bike:On tour I really like my Lynskey Sportive. In terms of pure aesthetics I’d go for anything from Look.

Top climb:Whist I have Mont Ventoux on my doorstep there are a number of climbs in the vicinity that I enjoy more. The Col de Murs in Provence is probably my favourite.

One thing on your bucket list:Bring the whole family on one of the Epics!

A special skill you bring on tour:I think I’m a bit of a jack of all trades from a guiding perspective having done it for over 20 years now. After all that time I guess my special skill is to be as passionate about guiding as I was when I first started.

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:A Fiorentina steak washed down with a fine bottle of Brunello di Montalcino in San Gimignano on our Hannibal tour.

Languages:I’m also determined to improve my Spanish before we embark on a tour program in the Iberian peninsular.

Simone Scalas - Guide

First cycling memory:Since I was a child, the bike has been to me like a space shuttle to me, taking me to faraway places. When I was little there was a huge forest close to where I live in southern Sardinia and I used to explore this marvelous place for hours, always trying to get further and further away from home. My passion for bikes was probably born then.

Favourite bike:I love titanium bikes, and my Linksey is very sexy, but if I could pick the bike of my dreams it’d be a Crisp; a handmade and designed by Darren Crisp, an american architect that set his workshop up in Tuscany.

Top climb:The Col de Palmarella in western Corsica, offering great views over the ocean from the top. Plus is not that long, which helps :)

One thing on your bucket list:Get myself an Italian red Lancia Fulvia from '70, a classy and quintessentially elegant car.

A special skill you bring on tour:A bit of fun..and lots of jokes, of course. Watch out :)

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:Any meal in Sicily. From street food to the most refined dinner, this place is always able to surprise my tastebuds.

Richie Mitchell - Guide

Favourite bike:I have a few, but my stand out is my Rapha Condor Sharp Team Leggero. She’s a beauty!

Top climb:I’ve just joined the Club des Cingles for those that ride up Mont Ventoux from all 3 sides in one day. I have to say that after that experience I have a new respect for the Geant as it was pretty tough. Ventoux still remains my favourite col though!

One thing on your bucket list:I would like to take part in the Race Across America (RAAM) as a rider in either a 2 or 4 man team. I’ve acted as a navigator and mechanic for two teams to date and am now at a point where I’d like to ride it myself.

A special skill you bring on tour:Prior to working as a guide I had a career in the military and emergency services. A special skill would have to be that there isn’t much I haven’t seen!

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:A plate of escargots in Meursault washed down with a fine Burgundy wine chosen by Bruno on the Caesar tour.

Languages:English and my French and Italian is coming on. I aspire to be a polyglot, but the road is long!

Ride and Seek tours you lead:Caesar, Hannibal, 3 Islands and Napoleon

3 Islands Bike Tour Highlights

> Some of the best cycling Europe has to offer with day after day of stunning coastlines

> Sample some of Italy’s rarest wines in Sardinia, an island with a winemaking history to rival the greeks

> Visit ancient historic sites going back 6000 years that give us more questions than answers

> Listen to the traditional Sardinian throat singing that needs to be seen to be believed

> Learn about cultures and histories that overlap each other over these three very unique islands

> The food! Sicily has given a lot to the world, but it’s the best at its origin

Supplements

> Single supplement – Our prices are based on twin/double occupancy. If you wish to have your own room a supplement is applicable. For a single stage the single supplement is €500 per stage.

> Bike hire – If you don’t bring your own bike we have a fleet of bikes that we are able to rent out. Please click here to visit Our Bikes page which shows the options we have available, including the pricing which varies according to the length of the hire.

> Wine kitty – On all of your tours we run a wine kitty system. This is very much an optional arrangement that ensures non-drinkers can be accommodated. The wine kitty is owned by the group and anything left over is divided up although this rarely happens!

> Deposits – To reserve a place on a stage of this tour you need to pay a deposit of €1000 (or your local currency equivalent). We also accept payment in GB£ and AU$. The final invoice will include any applicable single supplements or bike hire costs.

The Food & Wine on the 3 Islands Bike Tour

Stage 1 – Corsica

Corsicans are very serious about their food and wine! The simple style of cooking is inspired by the exceptional fruits and vegetables, cured meats and cheeses. Sanglier or wild boar is the island’s most famous dish – it will be served with pasta or polenta (we recommend polenta with brocciu which is made with chestnut flour and fresh Corsican ricotta). The moddizzosu (sourdough bread) is also great and the wonderful wines are a real credit to their French heritage.

Stage 2 – Sardinia

The simple shepherd’s diet is often associated with Sardinia – tomato sauces and carta di musica (flat bread), goat and sheep milk, fava beans and chickpeas, some of the foods most associated with reaching 100 years of age! However, Sardinia’s cuisine is much more complex than this. The maialetto or roasted piglet is a Sardinian classic and dishes vary greatly from area to area. The zuppa gallurese, a soup only in name is a hearty bread and cheese peasant dish. Fregola – small balls of handmade pasta are dressed with seafood in the Campidano. Lorighitta pasta from Oristano is made out of two thin pasta wires wound together and served with sausage and tomato sauce and Panadas. Oven baked pies of meat, fish or vegetables, can be found all over Sardinia with different fillings – the list goes on!

Stage 3 – Sicily

Food and wine are certainly some of Sicily’s main attractions. Try Caponata, a salad made from eggplant (or sometimes artichoke), olives, capers and celery or Sfincione, a local form of pizza made with tomatoes, onions and anchovies. Prepared on a thick bread and more likely found in a bakery than in a pizzeria, Sfincione is good as a snack or appetizer. Another favourite is panella which is a thin paste made of crushed ceci (garbanzo) beans and served fried. Sicily is also renowned for its seafood – grilled swordfish, snapper prepared in a vinegar and sugar sauce or seppia (cuttlefish) served in its own black sauce with pasta, all fantastic flavours to finish the tour with!

3 Islands Bike Tour History

We pride ourselves on finding varied accommodation that suits the needs of cyclists on tour, from historic family-run hotels with 600 years of history and still run by the original family to modern hotels with first class facilities.

Below is a section of a few of the hotels you can expect to experience on this tour.

Feel like a post-ride dip? Choose the pool or the Mediterranian for a dip.

Many of our hotels are found in quaint harbour towns.

As well as in the heart of the historic centres.

While others provide amazing views.

And places to put up your feet.

One night we overnight on a ferry!

We also look for places where we can enjoy our sunset drinks for our evening briefings and historical presentations.

As well as hotels that let us spread out a bit and hang our cycling kit on the balcony.

3 Islands Reading

Our Expedition Tour reading lists are aimed at being accessible to everyone – all the books are historical but there is fiction, primary authors and serious historians so take your pick! As always if you want any more information or more recommendations please contact us

An account of Boswell’s travels in Corsica during a period of military and social upheaval (mid 19th Century) and his subsequent befriending of the Corsican independence movement leader, General Pasquale Paoli. A bit solid but an excellent look intro the history of Corsica

James Boswell An Account of Corsica

A truly great novel, set in the 1860’s as Sicily’s decadent aristocracy collapses. A classic novel and an excellent read.

Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa The Leopard

What list would be complete without an entry on the Mafia? Felt by some to be the best book on the subject this relatively recent history reads very well and will certainly add to the atmosphere when riding through Sicilian countryside!

John Dickie Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia

A great introduction to Phoenician history. Reasonably short and accessible.

Mark Wolmer Ancient Phoencia

A vibrant narrative bringing this period of history to life. More in depth and lively than Ancient Phoenica.

3 Islands Bike Tour History

The 3 islands of Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily are so varied and rich in their history that taking a page to surmise their historic existence would be somewhat foolhardy! On tour, we will experience this diversity in culture and history which ranges from Phoenician, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Arabic, Norman, Renaissance, Baroque to world wars and a complex modern relationship with their ‘bigger brothers’ France and Italy. So for this historic peak at the 3 Islands we will solely examine how these islands symbolise their own existence.

It is little wonder with this vast array of influences that both Corsica and Sardinia choose a symbol called ‘La Testa di Moru’ – the Moor’s head which originates in the Kingdom of Aragon and was used in Sardinia after the Aragonese conquest in 1297. Four Moorish heads are separated by a cross of St George – it is called the ‘Is Cuatru Morus’ – the Four Moors. The Corsican version portrays a Moor’s Head in black wearing a white bandana above his eyes on a white background. Previously, the bandana covered his eyes; Paoli, the hero of Corsica in the 18th century who fought for the liberation of the island nation, wanted the bandana moved to above the eyes to symbolise the liberation of the Corsican people. The symbol was practically banned after 1769, when France forced the Genovesi to sell the island to settle the debts contracted by Genoa with France in its attempts to secure the island which ended with French troops put down the endemic rebellion. During this period under French rule, 1769–1789, Corsican patriots again used the version of the flag with blindfolded eyes, as a mark of protest. This was the era which Napoleon grew up in on his native Corsica…

As for Sicily, it represents itself with the Trinacria, a fantastic symbol, which is the head of Medusa (a gorgon with a head of snakes), surrounded by three bent running legs, and three stalks of wheat. A complex symbol but what are they getting at? Sicily was known by the Romans as Trinacrium, meaning “star with three points”. The three bent running legs represent the three capes of Sicily, Peloro (Punta del Faro, Tip of Faro, Messina: North-East), Passero (Syracuse: South), and Lilibeo(Cape Boeo, Marsala: West), which also creates the three points of the triangle. Supposedly, native Sicilians, left breathless by the beauty of Sicily’s shores, likened and compared them to a woman’s legs! The three ears of wheat, surrounding the head of Medusa, represent the fertility of the land of Sicily and the centre Medusa head in the middle of the Trinacria implies the protection of the island by the goddess Athena, the patron goddess of Sicily! So, in the end, a complicated an ancient symbol, perfect for us to find out more about on tour!

After this complexity, we chose the simple Tanit symbol to represent our travels on the 3 Islands. Tanit is a Punic and Phoenician goddess, one of the chief deities of the Phoenician people of Western Europe and was certainly worshipped in Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica from around the 5th century BCE onwards giving us a common theme! Her symbol is interpreted as a woman raising her hands and she is sometimes depicted with a lion’s head, showing her warrior quality, perfect for the front of a cycling jersey!

The inaugural 3 islands Tour in 2017 was a fantastic experience, as is always the case with Ride and Seek.

I did the first week in Corsica, which combined great cycling, stunning scenery, superb food and terrific accommodation every day of the tour.

The lunch-time stops high up in the remote hills were a special highlight, with all the food locally grown, raised – or hunted – before being prepared by the owners of the small properties we visited. This was a unique cycling experience.

Novelist Ben Kane provided historical commentary throughout the trip spanning Corsica’s rich and tumultuous past, while the Ride and Seek guides did their usual fine job supporting the group on every stage.

And as always, my fellow riders – many of whom I had toured with before – were great fun to be on the road with.

Corsica is a hidden gem of world cycling and this was a great way to experience it. I look forward to going back, and on to the other islands, on the tour in 2018

Steve B – Three Islands

Rides such as Three Islands are not holidays – they are experiences and must be faced in that manner. And what an experience! The scenery, the food, the wine & the company are features of holidays but it is the riding that makes this so different and ultimately so appealing.

The guides and the manner in which they worked and interacted with the group was just fantastic. We’ve been on tours with 4 different companies and I can honestly say that the support was second to none. It was their willingness & capacity to “go the extra mile” was priceless. You have chosen a great team; they complement each other with their different strengths.

Wendy H – Three Islands

After my 12 years of riding bike tours and adventures, and my second tour with Ride & Seek, I believe Dylan and his professional guides have the magic formula.

Every detail is covered and no request is too large, so all I needed to do was turn the pedals and enjoy the ride. I can’t say enough about the route, food, wine, and accommodations, however, the icing on the cake is their knowledge of the local history and culture. Thank you, Dylan and team, and keep up the great work.

Ted V – Three Islands

This trip is the full package. The most complete cycling trip I have ever experienced. As promised by Ride and Seek, every day contained challenging cycling, breathtaking scenery, and multiple opportunities to experience the history and culture of these three islands. Dylan Reynolds and his expert team of guides managed a set of formidable logistics flawlessly. Hats off to Ride and Seek for this new amazing journey!

Christine C – Three Islands

An exceptional experience in every way. Stunning scenery, wonderful roads, great food and wine, and a real chance to see these islands close-up. The guides were helpful and experienced. We really enjoyed the chance to learn more about the history and culture of both Corsica and Sardinia. I would highly recommend it.

Marilyn C – Three Islands

The ride offered stunning scenery day after day as we rode from Bay to Bay and occasionally an inland mountain pass on mostly good road surfaces. The inaugural tour was well planned and ran without a hitch thanks to the fantastic guides. As per all Ride and Seek rides, the cuisine and wine was exceptional and enjoyed with good company

Jo & Tony B – Three Islands

Overall this was more than just a ride-it was a carefully planned and professionally implemented event providing not only a bike riding experience through astounding scenery but a degree of exposure to the local culture, cuisine and the ancient and modern history which has uniquely shaped these beautiful places and their people. Ride and Seek are to be congratulated on providing such a virtuoso performance!

Chris C- Three Islands

I am still coming down off the Three Islands tour and, just like the Caesar tour, remembering how lovely life is on my bike staying exotic places with fine dining and being spoilt rotten by the R&S support staff.

Jeremy T- Three Islands

Trip Box

The 3 Islands tour is divided into 3 stages it traverses Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily. Mediterranean charm lies at the heart of this tour.